The government’s aim to “spark a competitive school sport revolution”, outlined only a month ago, looks set to become yet another broken coalition promise, following the cuts to school sport outlined in the Comprehensive Spending Review this week and the subsequent axing of targets and strategies which have resulted in increases in participation in school sport and rises in the number of pupils playing competitive sport.
Schools are going to have to pay for a lot of support, training and consultancy they currently receive ‘for free’ from local authorities. If they want such services in the future, the only way they will get them is by paying less for teachers, teaching assistants and materials.
As Education Minister Michael Gove allegedly raised a glass of wine to celebrate the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), thousands of the country’s poorest teenagers would have been debating whether to go to college following the Government’s announcement to “replace” Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
Do health services really justify a ring-fenced budget? Left Foot Forward’s health policy expert Trevor Cheeseman examines the issue.
Free-market think tank the Adam Smith Institute today published a report advocating the privatisation of, well, practically everything, reports Liam Thompson.
The government claims Royal Mail and the Post Office are “separate and distinct businesses” This is not true; they are part of the same state owned business.
The ‘bonfire of quangos’ may or may not lead to centralisation or deregulation depending on circumstance.
Labour must define itself by defending a core level of service quality – putting back the National back into the NHS, and a new National Care Service as well.
Universities need to be invested in; rewards include tackling the national debt in the short term while ensuring we have a highly skilled, high growth economy.
Lord Browne should check his numbers before giving advice to make universities so expensive that it will put off talented people from poor backgrounds.
